Using Assessment to Inform Decision-making in AY 2021-22 [CAPS] Courses

September 1, 2022

As part of AY 2021-22 [CAPS] Assessment Reporting for UCORE, instructors were asked if they planned to make any changes in future semesters based on assessments from the current semester. Overall, 57% of instructors indicated that they planned to make a change to their course based on assessment.

Most commonly the changes were to assignments. Below are some examples:

Use of Assessment to Make Changes: AY 2021-22 UCORE [CAPS] Report Summary Results

Type	Quotations - Selected Sample
Assignments	"I plan to give options to choose their own form of output (paper, presentation, or other creative form) based on their project" "I will likely change some of the small stakes assignments to include more literature reviews" "Additional assignments requiring students to reflect and then write and orally communicate their understanding" "I am planning to revise the written report"
Teaching or instruction	"More in-class, small group activities as opposed to lectures" "I will likely provide students with more incentives to prepare for a flipped-classroom setting" "More in class time helping student write about research results"
Course resources	"I will put more virtual materials" "Update online resources and articles"
Course content	"I plan to include a lecture on how to write a research paper" "Additional time discussing research methods and tools"
Other changes	"I plan on introducing an attendance policy based on participation in in-class activities" "I think in the first week of class, I might announce the availability of those supplemental writing courses and encourage students to enroll if they feel they would benefit"
No planned changes / Unsure	“Not at this time” “Based on this semester, changes won't be made”

Note: The majority of undergraduate courses that had pivoted to distance delivery for AY 2020-21 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic returned to in-person instruction for AY 2021-22. Roughly 44% of fall 2021 and spring 2022 CAPS instructors indicated that there continued to be substantial impacts to student attendance/engagement, course assignments, learning activities, and/or instruction in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessment results inform continual reflection and discussion of teaching and learning; they contribute to decision making to ensure effective teaching and learning. Decisions can include choosing to make changes, continue current effective practices, or build on strengths.

For additional information about how student learning evidence contributes to decision making intended to support student learning and quality undergraduate education, see Use of Student Learning Evidence. See Key Assessments for additional information about [CAPS] Assessment for UCORE.